Cirno Plays Shadow Man
by JCR-Stories
Summary: After being bored for so long, Cirno chooses to play an obscure game on Yukari's laptop. However, the experience may not be what she bargained for... One-shot, takes place after Touhou 11.


Cirno Plays _Shadow Man_

* * *

 **This is a short story that I've wanted to make for some time now; after all, I want to fill my profile with works other than** _ **SSB: Mysteries of the Pure-Hearted Soul**_ **and try out a fanfic that focuses on a wonderful (at least in the case of the PC and Dreamcast versions) yet obscure game. If you don't know what** _ **Shadow Man**_ **is like, then let me sum it up with a description from YouTuber Supergreatfriend, who has a playthrough of the game:**

" **Just your typical story of a college dropout-turned assassin-turned undead lord of the netherworld."**

 **In more detail, it's a game published by Acclaim Entertainment and developed by Acclaim Studios Teesside in 1999, released for the N64, PS1, PC, and Dreamcast, and is based on a comic book series by Valiant Comics. As you might guess (or not), it focuses on a voodoo warrior who goes on a journey to stop Armageddon from striking the realm of the living. My father had the PS1 version when I was a kid; I remember watching him play through the massive and alluring levels. In this story, we're going to watch the one and only 9-Ball herself go through the fascinating (if not fucked-up) atmosphere of the game… and experience a few fails.**

 **NOTE: This is not meant to be a completely comprehensive run of the game on Cirno's part; in fact, I even exclude certain details to avoid spoiling the game. Furthermore, this will be a one-shot story, so don't expect it to be very long like** _ **SSB: Mysteries of the Pure-Hearted Soul**_ **.**

 **WARNING: Some language and violent imagery ahead.**

 **Cirno and** _ **Touhou**_ **belong to ZUN (Team Shanghai Alice).** _ **Shadow Man**_ **is copyright of: Acclaim (the game) and Valiant (the comics).**

* * *

It was yet another normal winter day for the ice fairy Cirno. Her home, an icy alcove near Misty Lake, was chilly like it always was, and she was relaxing for her own benefit. Nothing exciting had occurred in Gensokyo since the downfall of the feared Utsuho "Okuu" Reiuji, and the peace that came afterwards—a magical spirit with a soothing essence—was initially something that kept many people, Cirno included, content for many days at a time.

But the fairy, whose mind was being bitten by boredom-inducing bugs of a parasitic nature, was now utterly bored and wanted something to do, something that would not end in a brutal beating from someone else or need being with a close friend. There were few options for enjoyment; her green-haired fairy of a friend, whose true name was unknown but was often called Daiyousei for convenience, was busy running some errands in the mystical land and would not be available until later today, and that was if there was some spare time for her. Annoying some unsuspecting residents with silly yet troublesome pranks was out of the question, especially since Cirno's last attempt at doing so ended disastrously when a certain flower-loving youkai fell into a murderous rage after her field was frozen over. The resulting injuries gave the icy fairy much pain for many days. Freezing frogs was also not an option due to a clear, profoundly ominous threat from a certain goddess of the Moriya Shrine.

Perhaps a certain youkai of boundaries could assist her with providing some entertainment. After all, Yukari Yakumo _did_ have access to the world outside Gensokyo's boundaries, so she could get something that would kill the boredom-inducing bugs in Cirno's head.

" _Eye'm bored,_ " the fairy sighed. " _Maybe Miss Yukari can help me finding something better to do. Eye don't wanna be sitting here all day._ " Determined to visit the gap youkai, she initiated her travel to the Yakumo home.

* * *

 _Minutes later, at the Yakumo estate…_

" _Whew, Eye'm finally here._ " After much traveling across the mystical Gensokyoite atmosphere, the self-proclaimed strongest of fairies finally found the Yakumo home, right on the barrier leading to the other side. Part of her endurance had been exhausted from searching different areas, in no small part due to her poor memory of more obscure locations. The estate was not very large; it was a simple home with architecture common to many Gensokyoite homes, albeit in a more refined format. Tan walls with windows composed most of the outer perimeter, with two possible entrances. The one to which Cirno was closest was a set of sliding doors.

" _Gotta see if Yukari's home…_ " She quickly slid both doors open, unaware that someone inside was about to speed out of the house on a bike.

 _WHAM!_

" _OW!_ " The child-like bakeneko Chen immediately drove into the open field, blissfully unaware of CIrno's presence until after the moment of impact. But even after having mowed down the fairy with her toy, she paid no mind to the injuries that she created. Cirno, whose head and ribs were splitting open in pain, angrily stood up to deliver some harsh words.

" _Seriously,_ _stupid cat, watch where you're going!_ " Not bothered by Chen playfully riding in the glass or ignoring the last remark, Cirno entered the living room, filled with a rug, a green couch, and some paintings on the walls. A small chandelier hanged overhead to provide light, though it was currently not active. A nearby bookshelf was packed to the brim with titles collected by Yukari over the years. A nearby door led to the kitchen, and an open entrance directed potential visitors to the bedrooms of Yukari and Ran.

" _Are you home, Miss Yukari?_ " Cirno advanced towards the largest bedroom, Yukari's personal room, only to find out that the gap youkai was not present. Maybe she had gone out to run some errands for the day, the ice fairy believed. Either that, or she was causing some trouble for others; Yukari, being an elusive figure, was known to have an aura of unpredictability around her. Upon further searching, it became clear that Ran was also not here.

" _It figures. Eye guess there's no choice but to remain bored._ " But no sooner did she start to leave than did Yukari suddenly emerge from a portal, nearly frightening the unexpected visitor. Cirno did her best to conceal her shock, hoping to remain strong in the face of a powerful being. Yukari herself was holding a bag of Pocky sticks coated with chocolate.

" _Ah, dearest Cirno,_ " the older woman sighed. " _What brings you here to this home?_ "

" _Miss Yukari,_ " the fairy replied, " _Eye'm bored and Eye want something to do. Can you help me with that?_ "

" _Hmm… I have a laptop in here that can run games as well as a small library of a few titles. I have been wanting to give them away to those who may be interested in using, but no Gensokyoite that I know of wanted any of them. Chen played a few of them, however. Let me show you…_ "

" _Sure._ " As Cirno was guided to the laptop, she noticed a stack of ten computer games nearby. Most of them were child-friendly games, usually focused on point-and-click activities and themes that would entertain someone like Chen; these same titles were printed in modern Japanese. However, one title stood out from all the rest.

" _What's this one?_ " The ice fairy held up a certain jewel case at the bottom of the stack and made sure that the gap youkai noticed it. This case contained a game that, contrary to the others, was far from family-friendly. The front depicted a dark-skinned man with circular glasses and a mask-like object fused to his exposed chest, along with a skull in his right hand. The skull had some fire in its otherwise-empty eye sockets. The background behind him was a compilation of strange and often disturbing creatures, many of which would have been completely unfamiliar to the common Gensokyoite. But it was the title of the game that was most striking to Cirno, present in light blue lettering and marked by an electrical current zipping through the words in a horizontal fashion:

 _Shadow Man_

" _I found this game during my short visit to Britain in an old game store. Nobody wanted it as far as I was concerned, and for some reason, I was mesmerized at first sight. Upon "borrowing" it and returning here, I found out that it concerns a magical system different from those common to Gensokyo; it's called "voodoo". It also has disturbing content. Chen tried to play it once and it didn't go so well; besides not handling the game's demands in exploration and combat well, she was scared by some… unpleasant elements._ " Yukari's face darkened as she spoke about the moment in which the younger shikigami was traumatized by the violent and more nerve-wracking elements of the game.

" _Tch… This game doesn't look scary to me. Eye'm gonna play it. Care to give me the laptop?_ " Cirno formed a confident smirk on her face as she kept the game in her hands.

" _You're free to play the game, but do not damage the laptop._ " As Yukari watched the ice fairy leave with the laptop, Ran Yakumo suddenly dropped from the still-open portal with a gargantuan bag filled with many smaller bags of Pocky. The kitsune was nearly flattened by the object she was carrying, muffling her voice.

" _Lady Yukari… Here's your supply of Pocky._ " She quietly pulled herself from the bag's suffocating bottom before standing up to leave for her bedroom, only to be halted by her mistress.

" _What took you so long, my little programmer? I expected you to make it here as quickly I could._ "

" _I apologize, but the bag was just too heavy for me to lift by myself. Perhaps it would have been easier for us to split the supply into two separate bags._ "

Yukari's expression soured slightly upon hearing her shikigami's explanation. " _You're an expert programmer, Ran; I expect you to do better than that. I'll let you off the hook this time, but another mistake on your part will result in a serious punishment. Oh, and be sure that Chen's not getting into trouble._ "

" _Understood._ " Ran departed from the house to ensure that the bakeneko was not in danger.

* * *

Back at the icy alcove, Cirno installed the game disc into the laptop and patiently waited for the game to boot up. Soon enough, a still frame of miscellaneous copyright details appeared in place of the normal desktop background, followed by slightly animate screens depicting the logos of the publisher and developer; both screens were marked by a fabric-like background gently vibrating amid ominous sounds. Shortly thereafter, the game's logo presented itself with wavy electrical currents stretching across the letters. Cirno waited patiently for what was about to occur next, which was the presentation of this monologue in a non-Gensokyoite dialect. Thankfully for the arrogant fairy, the laptop was equipped with a useful translator. The monologue was structured as follows:

"For many thousands of years, the Shadow Men have protected the world of the living against threats crossing over from the spiritual plane known as Deadside, the place where everyone goes, without exception, when they die. Michael LeRoi is the current heir to the mysteries of this ancient lineage, bearer of the Mask of Shadows. When darkness falls, he becomes the Walker Between the Worlds, Immortal Voodoo Warrior, Taker of Souls, Lord of Deadside… the Shadow Man."

Cirno kept her eyes off the screen until after the monologue had ended, at which point she immediately created a file for herself. A short loading screen appeared before the transition to a cutscene depicting what appeared to be an underground sewer line, accompanied by a English-accented man speaking from the darkness:

"The ninth of November, 1888… By my deeds am I known—and I am known as Jack, Springheel Jack, Jack the Ripper. By my deeds am I known, and they are truly bloody."

" _Boring!_ " Cirno skipped the rest of the cutscene and the few others that followed, forcing herself straight into the game's action. She then guided her character across the first level of the game, a bayou bathed in the orange aura of the dawn. A bridge leading to the destination, which was an old church, collapsed, giving Cirno some minor frustration and, upon returning to the starting point on the bridge, forcing her to leap across so that her character could continue. On an open area, she was suddenly surprised by a nearby dog briefly revealing a more monstrous form before fleeing, but she quickly shrugged off the event and eventually reached the church's entrance. Skipping another cutscene and accessing the inventory screen, she came to realize of having a seemingly ordinary handgun, a file, and a… teddy bear?

" _What?_ " she mumbled. " _Why the heck do Eye have a teddy bear? Is this guy obsessed with a child's toy?_ " Upon exclaiming the toy, however, she found out that it was useful for transporting between areas; she selected the only area in which she was not in, prompting a slow transition and yet another skipped cutscene. Afterwards, she came across a fleshy wasteland with flows of blood—though she did not recognize them as such—a darkened sky, and some pale-looking enemies that were out to drain her character's health. On the lattermost subject…

 _Zap-zap-zap-zap!_

" _What the…?! They're gaining up on me!_ " Pulling her now-enchanted weapon from the inventory screen, she shot several wraiths into her enemies to reduce them into bloody chunks; health powerups were created, but Cirno arrogantly chose to ignore them despite having lost more than half her total health. The road up ahead led her to a skeletonized gate guarded by a top hat-wearing snake, whose Irish accent was undeniably distinct. Another skipped cutscene and some distance later…

 _Wham! Wham! Wham!_

" _HUH?!_ " After facing a strong Duppy, Cirno's character was killed due to a wrong move that resulted in him getting stuck in a corner. " _That freakin' monster got lucky… Eye'll show him who's the strongest!_ "

* * *

 _At the Yakumo household…_

" _Hey, what happened to the laptop?_ " Ran asked of her mistress.

" _Oh, I gave it to Cirno so that she could play one of the games in the disk pile,_ " replied the gap youkai. " _She was apparently bored and wanted something to make herself excited._ "

" _Which game did she take?_ " The kitsune had a small bag of Pocky in her hands, giving most of them to herself but also a few to Yukari.

" _She took "Shadow Man", the one game that gave Chen nightmares for days. I can safely bet that she'll be experiencing those same nightmares despite her claims of being a fearless fairy._ "

" _Maybe so._ " Ran recalled the memories of the bakeneko crying after repeated exposure the game's disturbing scenery and enemies, especially on top of getting her character repeatedly killed due to her infantile understanding of the game's combat mechanics and some of the trickier puzzles; the fact that she was playing on Yukari's file, which had many of the vital items collected, did not help her one bit. The monstrous enemies and disturbing themes within the game—including near-immortal titans made from dead flesh, the motives behind and crimes of five corrupted serial killers, chilling music in the background, and a certain area of a black, bloody tower dedicated to hacking victims to pieces—left Chen with recurring nightmares, and it was not until Ran comforted her with playful activities over several days that they vanished for good.

" _Since Cirno's not necessarily a smart fairy, she'll probably be left frustrated after repeated failures,_ " the shikigami sighed.

" _She does know when to back off in extreme scenarios,_ " Yukari replied. " _Why, she even fled from Utsuho when it all seemed hopeless. Nevertheless, she hardly exercises that ability, and I doubt she'll do so with the game._ "

* * *

 _With Cirno, two hours later…_

 _Boom!_

" _Ugh, damn it…_ " Since she did not bother to look down before leaping in, Cirno had just led her character into an assortment of hot coals near the front entrance of the Asylum, resulting in a fiery death. A short respawn later, she successfully made her way through a mechanical environment with a few transport systems, blowing steam, and numerous coals. At the end of the machine-filled trial, she was introduced to a different environment.

" _Okay, someone here's been busy with literal bloody business and… Is that flesh?_ " Pretending not to be bothered by the violent image in front of her, she continued forward and soon entered her first encounter with hook-wielding Pigmen, humanoid creatures with pig-like voices. Despite her efforts to fight them as well as an eventual victory, she lost almost all her health, partly replenished by pickups left by the defeated foes. Another Pigman, this one holding a rifle, was soon encountered and defeated.

" _So far, so good… Just need to show those fools who's the toughest of them all._ " Picking up a special key on the way to a rusted railcar and defeating more enemies, Cirno was introduced to a cathedral-like environment in the Asylum known only as the Cathedral of Pain. Making her way to the center, she noticed five unique symbols over the pathways ahead of her. It was here that she took the time to look at the police file in the inventory. Most details were swept under the rug, but the symbols found in the room gave her an idea of which serial killer was associated with which symbol; she also noted the basic details of the murders committed by each man.

" _Killers, huh? They won't be so tough when Eye deal with them._ " Choosing the pathway marked by crossed spears, she entered the cathedral room associated with a certain Vietnam veteran who had a modus operandi of videotaping the deaths of his victims. Atop a stairway at the far end was a dead torso whose chest was ripped open by a strange device and leaking a red mist. Cirno's character was pulled into what appeared to be a prison cafeteria after approaching the organic device. At the end of the trail, she encountered one of the Five: Milton Pike.

"Hey, you! This is private property! What the hell do you think you're doin', boy?!"

" _Face the might of the strongest!_ " She immediately engaged the machine gun-wielding soldier after skipping the rest of the cutscene. Her reflexes were a bit slow during the first hail of bullets that emerged from Milton's weapon, but that was not enough to stop her from taking cover before it was too late. The fairy was smart enough to fire at him during pauses in gunfire, resulting in a gradual increase in damage inflicted. Even with such a tactic, however, she could not truly kill him; in fact, spraying magnum bullets into Milton during his period of weakness failed to harm him, and to make matters worse, he eventually recovered with near-full health.

" _C'mon, die already!_ " While desperately attacking the corrupted Milton, she refused to retreat into cover, allowing her character to be killed.

" _Are you serious?!_ " Determined to get her revenge, she decided to fight Milton again, only to be subjected to a few consecutive deaths. These ranged from being shot at an angle that was just enough to earn a hit…

 _Splack!_

" _Give me a break; Eye was behind it!_ "

…to getting blasted by a grenade launcher in clear sight…

 _BOOM!_

" _No-no-no-no-no!_ "

…to falling victim to an ambush while upstairs…

 _BOOM!_

" _Oh, you are such a cheater!_ "

…to suffering a counterattack after another failed attempt to defeat Milton.

 _Wham!_

" _Okay, that's it; Eye'm outta here!_ " Extremely angered that she could not defeat Milton, she utilized the teddy bear to escape back to the bayou in Liveside. There, she was subjected to a cutscene in which there was an explanation about the imperviousness of Milton and his comrades; they could only be defeated by the Shadowgun, which was an ordinary pistol during the daytime, and Cirno's character needed to bring the night to unleash his dark powers upon the serial killers. This was possible thanks to an arcane dagger, of which Cirno already had gotten a piece.

" _Oh..._ " the ice fairy sighed. " _That's why Eye couldn't beat him. Well, Eye'll get back at him soon enough. For now, a break would be good for me._ " Closing the laptop, she exited her alcove to see if any of her friends were available. She had no luck in finding available friends, however, forcing her to sleep after saving the game and shutting off the laptop.

* * *

 _One day later, afternoon…_

" _Ah, so that's how you got this game,_ " Daiyousei muttered to her close friend. Having completed her errands late last night, she had no time to visit Cirno due to being very tired. Today, however, she had chosen to accompany her friend on the way back to the icy alcove near Misty Lake. _"How are you liking it?_ "

" _Eye can swear that this game is trying to find new ways to get my blood boiling,_ " Cirno replied. " _But Eye've been making progress so far, so that's good; Eye won't stop until this game is completed. Plus, the atmosphere's a bit… interesting._ " Having collected numerous items—including the especially-vital Dark Souls, which were Cirno's ticket to becoming stronger and accessing new paths in the game—she was swimming through a blood-filled pipe of the Asylum to access the Playrooms, surfacing only to get shot by rifle-wielding Pigmen. Her character could not pull himself from the blood due to being shot, and when he finally did so, much of his health was lost. Part of this lost energy was recovered after killing the hostiles. The way up to the control room was nothing problematic, with the only Pigman in the way being easily defeated by a combination of the Shadowgun and the fiery Flambeau.

" _Eat Flambeau, pig,_ " Cirno snarled, with her last blow reducing the enemy to smoldering ashes. The subsequent activation of a nearby switch opened the pathway to the Playrooms. The way in was marked by a strange transition in music; instead of the normal music associated with the dark tower, a lullaby by the late Johannes Brahms filled the laptop's speakers.

" _What the?_ " Daiyousei mumbled, dumbfounded by the sudden change. From what she had been told by Cirno, the game was supposed to be a disturbing journey that would leave an emotionally fragile person mentally scarred, perhaps for months at a time. As she watched Cirno enter the Playrooms at last, chilling noises played alongside the lullaby, including a drill supposedly piercing a child's head, flesh being ripped open, and a woman screaming in agony. This disturbing atmosphere would only worsen when Cirno entered one of the area's cells.

" _Okay, that looks very creepy._ " Daiyousei tried to maintain her composure as the blood-soaked room with two enemies entered her view. One of them was a tall figure in dark clothing; it held a machine gun in one of its hands. The other was another one of the undead souls encountered earlier in the game, a white figure with pale skin and the ability to drain life from someone.

" _Nothing that is a match for me._ " As soon as the two foes were dead, Cirno examined the room for anything interesting; the only thing discerning among the blood was a rope-like object… or a possible intestinal tract. The next room contained some traces of blood, but it was otherwise empty. A third room was perhaps the cleanest of the bunch, with no traces of filthiness whatsoever.

Cirno activated a switch in another that elevated the pool of blood leading to an opened hatch, but before heading to her destination, she curiously chose to investigate a pathway beyond an open pipe with rotating blades. Beyond it were five cells locked by a switch. Unlocking all of them, she entered the one closest to her. The lullaby suddenly faded out, replaced by faint and bizarre sound effects. The room had bloodstains mixed with flesh mounds, a strange symbol painted over certain points on the walls, a couch, and a pair of words on the floor, which read:

 _ANALYZE THIS_

" _I wouldn't wanna be in that room,_ " Daiyousei whispered. " _Also, did the person that used to be in this cell have a problem with psychologists?_ "

" _Don't know, don't care,_ " Cirno answered. After destroying some barrels to earn some powerups, she traveled to the next cell, whereupon she killed a machine gun-using enemy by setting it on fire with the torch-like Flambeau. The music changed to some faint snickering, a bizarre choice for a room of torture.

" _That doesn't look pleasant,_ " the green-haired fairy muttered. Connected to a nearby pool of blood was a seat marked by two spikes on the back-supporting segment. A few hooks were suspended from the ceiling above.

" _At least Eye get more Cadeaux._ " Indeed, there were some pot-like Cadeaux for Cirno to take, increasing her chances of expanding her character's health meter; she had already done so on one occasion. The next room over was, for some strange reason, composed of dollar bills. A bloodied cash register was at the far end, and one wall was marked with the following words:

 _IN GOD WE TRUST_

" _Eye wish of being that rich._ " Approaching the register, Cirno was greeted with the game informing her that she had unlocked a game secret. With nothing else to do, she entered the next cell and defeated the two Pigmen inside. The interior of the room nearly chilled Daiyousei's wings as their owner realized a notable question, especially after the music changed from the usual lullaby to a haunting moan that echoed faintly in the background.

" _Seriously, how many people were killed in this cell?_ " The sheer amount of blood was so great that a foot-deep puddle had formed in one corner; Daiyousei felt a disturbing coldness in her mind while trying to figure out the number of victims that were killed in the cell. Cirno, on the other hand, ignored the scenery and collected some powerups before heading towards the cell across her current position. Notwithstanding the enemies inside, there was a pool table with sticks hammered into its body. After igniting the enemies, Cirno asked her friend a question:

" _Hey, wanna play pool billiards after Eye'm done?_ "

" _Thank you for asking, but I'm not interested in billiards right now._ " Daiyousei watched as her friend the last cell: a baby's room filled with blocks spelling the word "HELL" and a Pigman stuck inside a fenced area. The ice fairy ignored the enemy and pushed one of the blocks, giving her the opportunity to collect some powerups and Cadeaux.

* * *

 _A few minutes later…_

" _What is that thing?_ " the green-haired fairy asked. From the control room, she and Cirno could notice a giant creature locked inside a cell in the pit below. Close to Cirno's character was a switch that had not yet been activated. " _And I have a feeling that the switch next to you may set it free._ "

" _Set it free? Okay! It'll see who's the strongest of them all._ " Cirno immediately released the monster, an undead Trueform, from its cage.

" _Cirno, wait-_ " But it was too late; within seconds, the monster was free and stomping around in its open space. Cirno, hoping to defeat the monster, traveled what she believed to be the correct pathway, only to be stopped by a row of burning coals.

" _Well, no going around that,_ " the ice fairy chirped. " _Gotta turn back and find something that can help me._ "

* * *

 _Minutes after arrival at the Temple of Prophecy, an hour later…_

 _WHAM!_

" _Cheaters!_ " Cirno felt her blood boil as she watched her character get ambushed and subsequently murdered by a group of magical women of ancient origin. This was exacerbated by the fact that she had _just_ collected a Dark Soul, reaching one step closer to leveling up. Such misfortune would not be the last one encountered in the temple; in fact, she would face more problems along the way. Those ranged from getting fried by a fireball from behind…

 _Sssss…!_

" _Oh, my goodness…_ "

…to reaching a Govi too late when the stairway leading to it retracted…

 _Click…_

" _You're being too slow, Cirno._ "

…to getting repeatedly knocked down by a swinging hammer while trying to reach an altar…

 _Smack! Smack! Smack!_

" _Eye can't believe it! This is ridiculous!_ "

…to dying many times after failing to pass over the row of coals separating her from the Gad chamber.

 _Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!_

" _EYE'M LOSING MY PATIENCE HERE!_ "

" _Let me try, Cirno,_ " Daiyousei ordered. Cirno was initially reluctant to give control of the game to her but yielded after a moment of contemplation. On her first try—and after traveling back to the specific room—the green-haired fairy managed to cross the gap without falling into the coals, leaving her friend in shock.

" _How… H-how did ya do that?_ " the arrogant lover of cold temperatures gasped.

" _Simple; I jumped right at the edge of the platform. You were leaping too early._ " Daiyousei rescinded control of the game to Cirno, allowing her to claim the Gad in the next room. After watching the character in the game get zapped with laser beams at the top of a tower-like structure, he soared into the coals below to prove his new immunity to their heat.

" _Sweet, walking on hot coals,_ " Cirno chirped. " _Just gotta collect a few Dark Souls and Eye'm outta here. Hey, Eye wonder if my new power works with lava?_ " She forced her character to jump into the nearby lava pool, only to find out that the new Gad did not work there; instead, she watched him get roasted by the fiery liquid.

" _Okay, moving on…_ "

* * *

 _Back to the Playrooms, two hours later…_

" _Okay, big guy, face me._ " After much backtracking to collected vital items that were previously inaccessible, along with a few deaths stemming from her errors, Cirno was now face-to-face with the Trueform, a fearsome figure with a skull-like face and clawed fingers, that she had released from its cage. Refusing to use a certain magical shield, she engaged it head-on with the Shadowgun and the Baton, a staff-like weapon with the ability to shoot flames. She managed to tack on some damage early on, but when her voodoo supply ran dry, she was left only with the powerful soul-ripping wraiths from the enhanced firearm. A single dodge in the wrong direction left her bombarded with magical projectiles, shearing off a fourth of her total health. When she unintentionally rolled towards the monster's direction, it created a powerful stomp to further drain the fairy's health. Desperate, she broke open some barrels to replenish her voodoo meter and launch more shots with the Baton, but her recklessness with the tipped weapon resulted in another depletion of magical fuel. Hiding behind the cage was the only reason why the ice fairy managed to avoid getting slaughtered during the fight. Though she was almost killed, left only with the minimum of health needed to survive, she brought the gigantic foe to its knees before finally tearing the Dark Soul from its undead body via the Shadowgun.

" _Got it,_ " she chirped prior to her character absorbing the unholy object. " _Now that he's outta the way, Eye just need to get whatever secrets are left in this dump and move on. Eye've been playing this game for some time now, just wanna get it completed._ "

" _Hey,_ " Daiyousei muttered, " _While you were taking a break, I did some research with the laptop and noticed that much of the game takes place in a realm where people go when they die. Since your character is out killing those same guys and girls with his arsenal of voodoo weapons, what happens afterwards? Do they just cease to exist?_ "

" _Huh… Now that ya mentioned it, Eye don't know what would happen afterwards. This game isn't too specific about that._ " Cirno scratched the back of her head as she gave her answer to her friend's question.

" _Also, how do those monsters even get around the Asylum? Not only are most of the sections found so far unconnected, but I can't even imagine any of those creatures swimming and climbing around just to get to their destination, especially not the pig-squealers. The architecture is probably the work of some crazy man or woman who had a convoluted sense of constructing a terrifying tower._ "

" _Sucks to be them: the monsters, Eye mean. Anyway, time to finish this place off._ "

* * *

 _The Lavaducts…_

" _Another round at the Asylum,_ " Daiyousei sighed. Cirno was now at the entrance to the Lavaducts, an area of the Asylum with an obscure function. Perhaps, in the green-haired fairy's perspective, they served as the geothermal power station to the black tower, drawing power from the lava and coals to energize the machines found in other areas. Upon entering the coal-filled pathway to the interior, the normal music, a soothing yet haunting melody embodying the bleak character of Deadside, suddenly changed to a plethora of strange and disturbing noises. One of the more chilling examples was the sound of flesh being ripped open and sifted through, sharply contrasting with a child's laughter in the distant part of the soundscape. Daiyousei could only wonder what the composer for this game had been thinking when he or she sketched the music for this level and even the entire game. Meanwhile, Cirno slaughtered a few foes that were in her way. As she traveled deeper into the level, sounds of a woman moaning from getting beaten down, distant screaming, and a young child crying could be heard over the established musical atmosphere. The blue fairy pretended not to be bothered by this change, but even she could not secretly deny that her body was started to feel deeply chilled, and it was not because of the icy alcove she called home. Daiyousei, on the other hand, almost felt like pulling herself away after hearing the new noises in the background.

" _Hey, is this music starting to bother you?_ " She wondered if Cirno was having her mind shaken, secretly or not, by the new musical piece. The ice fairy may have claimed to be the strongest in both mind and body in the past, but even she was not exempt from moments of weakness.

" _What music? Eye don't hear any music,_ " Cirno flatly asserted. During her trip, she was greeted by a large group of Pigmen, some with hooks and others with chainsaws and shields. Not one to back down from a fight, Cirno utilized a weapon that she obtained earlier on, the Marteau, to fire multiple streams of fire. Combined with suppressive fire from the Shadowgun, the monstrous enemies that were once wicked humans in life were either reduced to bloody chunks or smoldering ashes. The arrogant "baka" allowed a fit of laughter to crawl from her throat as she watched her enemies die.

" _Can't beat the strongest, can ya?!_ " However, her elation would be short-lived when she noticed a Govi behind a locked room. There was a switch to unlock the doors, but it was positioned on the other side.

" _Yeah, very funny. Troll me with that Govi on the other side of the locked room. You'll get yours later…_ " After taking out more enemies on a small pathway, she noticed a switch next to an ascending stairway. Pulling on it, she was greeted with a short cutscene of a large machine activating in response; this machine had a large bar dipped partially into lava and some cage-like structures added to the central pillar.

" _If I had to guess that machine's function, I would say that it processes the lava here,_ " Daiyousei remarked. Cirno ignored her words, however, and continued down a nearby path containing gun-wielding figures, called Surgeons in-game, and chainsaw-happy Pigmen. Unlike the previous group of enemies, the Marteau did not provide much help due to running out of voodoo along the way, forcing the fairy to rely solely on the Shadowgun when fighting against the chainsaw-wielding monsters. The fight was longer than necessary due to shields blocking several shots before collapsing.

" _That was a little too long,_ " Cirno squeaked. After crossing a coal-filled pathway that led into the locked room with a Govi, she claimed her prize and unlocked the door, but not before eliminating the Surgeon that was in her way. To make things even better, the Dark Soul elevated the strength of her character to the eighth level. Her last moments of the initial visit to the Lavaducts consisted of her standing next to the machine after collecting a nearby Dark Soul.

" _Hey, maybe Eye could jump into the lava to see what's down below. What do ya think, Daiyousei?_ "

" _Uh, Cirno?_ " the green-haired fairy replied. " _You still can't swim in lava. Your character can walk on hot coals and push flaming blocks, but that's about it. Perhaps there's a powerup in the game that makes you immune to lava._ "

" _Oh, right… Well, Eye'll find that powerup in time, but first, Eye need to bring on the night in Liveside… whatever that means._ "

* * *

 _Liveside…_

"Bringer of Night, L'Eclipser—release the Shadow into the world of men!" Cirno and Daiyousei watched in awe as the woman on top of the player character, Mama Nettie, moved in a rhythmic manner that bespoke a tribal aura around her. She was holding L'Eclipser, now a completed dagger with the power to darken the world on a user's whim.

"Le Soleil, Brother Sun… La Lune, Sister Moon… La Lame, the power that binds…" The voodoo priestess began to move faster, prompting the man underneath her to breath as tension filled his body. The magical dagger suddenly piercing his chest transformed that same tension into a loud scream that exited his body. Before the screen faded to black, streams of voodoo soared from the church and into the world outside.

"And the sorceress fell into a deep trance, her powers exhausted. And a Shadow did fall upon the world of men." A familiar image from a certain prophecy, one depicting the sorceress on the ground in a weakened state, was shown against a black background, followed by a rough representation of a solar eclipse.

"The Prophecy is fulfilled…"

" _Oh, boy…_ " Cirno muttered under her breath, watching as the game revealed a fallen Nettie next to the player character, who was now equipped with voodoo in the world of the living.

"It is done. Seek out the Five; destroy the evil that controls them… I must sleep…" With these last words, the dark-skinned woman fell into unconsciousness. With nothing better to do, Cirno claimed two Dark Souls before leaving the church. It was here that the dog encountered earlier and others like it were finally exposed as demonic creatures, pale and with no fur to hide their hideous visage. The Marteau was brought into play to easily roast the entire group and move on without further hindrances. A small building next to the old church was initially locked, but a shot removed the old padlock. Inside was a flooded cave that was dark enough to necessitate the Flambeau's appearance. On the other side was an open field containing a few supernatural dogs and ordinary alligators.

" _See ya later, alligator,_ " Cirno squeaked as she roasted a reptilian beast with the Flambeau. Two more were slain with the Shadowgun in the swampy waters surrounding an old shack. Inside said shack was a lonely Govi… and a shotgun.

" _What's a shotgun doing here?_ " Daiyousei asked.

" _Don't know, but Eye'm gonna take it,_ " her friend squeaked eagerly. Prior to consuming another Dark Soul, she picked up the Liveside-made weapon and added it to the existing voodoo equipment. As Cirno collected the remaining artifacts in the level, Daiyousei realized a curious question.

" _You've never figured out where those dogs came from, have you? I certainly haven't. I mean, if they are indeed Nettie's, then Mike's going to owe her an apology when this Apocalypse scenario is over._ "

" _What? Those demon puppies were trying to kill me,_ " the gamer answered. " _Even if they_ _were_ _Nettie's, that still wouldn't change the fact that they're too dangerous to be left alive. Eh, whatever… Once Eye'm done here, Eye'm never coming back._ "

" _Let's take a break, Cirno._ "

* * *

 _At the Yakumo household…_

" _Hmm… Looks like Cirno's been immersing herself in the game,_ " Yukari, alone in her bedroom, sighed. " _Perhaps she's a bit… obsessed with it. As much as I enjoy satisfying her needs, I need that laptop for some vital business. Perhaps I can get programmer extraordinaire Ran to find Cirno; I know where she lives, so I need to await until she's asleep so that I can send out my dear kitsune task manager._ "

 _Crunch…_

The taste of sweet Pocky entered the gap youkai's mouth as she watched Ran monitor the bike-riding Chen in the open field. The window prevented any sounds from leaping into the house, but it seemed clear that the bakeneko was saying "Ran-shama" after leaping from the bike. Ran's motherly instincts, in sharp contrast to Yukari's treatment of the kitsune, wrapped Chen in a blanket of warmness and soothing joy.

* * *

 _The Temple of Blood, dusk…_

 _Splash!_

" _Seriously! This is the fifth time that has happened!_ " Cirno yelled. Her character had just fallen into a vat of lava for the fifth time in a row after being pushed in by a series of traps within a certain room. Her patience was wearing thin, and it did not help that her blood was boiling once again.

" _I'll be leaving now, Cirno,_ " Daiyousei, now tired, sighed. " _Take care, and don't let any youkai like Wriggle try to kill you._ " As she left the icy alcove to rest, her friend finally got past the traps and soon reached an area with hot coals leading the Gad chamber, complete with stones floating over lava. There were five switches scattered across the room, with each one lowering the upper half of a ring-like device that would grant a Gad to the player character. Two floating enemies, red variants of the aptly-named Sisters of Blood, began attacking to prevent Cirno from earning the final Gad. Backing into a corner to prevent falling into lava, Cirno fired several wraiths to eliminate one Sister while strafing to avoid retaliatory attacks. Impatient and wanting to complete the puzzle as quickly as possible, she immediately activated all the switches once the first Sister was eliminated. A few shots from the second nearly killed her character, but a successful spirit to the towering contraption shielded her from further harm and granted the long-desired Gad. One leap later…

 _Splash!_

" _You had your victories, lava, but your time is up,_ " Cirno squeaked victoriously. She took a nearby Dark Soul from a Govi as a celebratory prize; said object was previously inaccessible due to being surrounded by a cage and the only entrance being blocked by lava. With the puzzle completed, Cirno began to clear as much of the temple as possible; one notable moment of frustration occurred near the bridge that had been knocked into place by a large hammer. Nearby was a small room that could only be accessed via a long leap, but there was also an extended upper lip that was likely to prevent most jumps from obtaining success. Cirno executed her first jump with a dashing start…

 _Tap…_

…only to fail when her character struck the upper lip.

" _Okay, let's try that again._ " Following a short climb back to the bridge, the fairy approached the entrance with a jump from farther away, but the lack of distance meant that—although avoiding the lip was possible—she could not grab onto the ledge. The third and fourth tries were plagued by a slow start, reducing the distance of their respective jumps.

" _C'mon, why can't Eye make this jump?!_ " Her fifth attempt was executed with a more direct path, being almost perpendicular to the lip. It would have been successful…

 _Tap…_

…if the fairy had not leapt too late. The next two attempts were hindered by leaps that were performed far too early, leaving no room for Cirno to reach the ledge. The fairy's face began to brighten with a blatant redness that stood out from the blues and whites of the alcove.

" _This is giving me a freakin' migraine…!_ " Her left hand shook from the burst of anger that was stretching to every part of her body, almost ready to bash the monitor inward. Her final jump was performed from the right angle and at the right distance from the ledge, ultimately allowing her to enter. What she got as rewards were a few Cadeaux and a secret.

" _Wait, all that trouble for a few pots and a secret? Eye was expecting something more. Well, Eye guess it was worth it to some extent… Time to clean this place up._ "

* * *

 _The Cathedral of Pain, an hour before midnight…_

" _Okay, now that Eye'm powered up, it's time to show that fatso who's boss._ " Indeed, after collecting Dark Souls, voodoo weapons, Gads, Cadeaux, and other crucial items for the adventure, she was ready to have a rematch with Milton Pike. Reentering the cafeteria in which he was hiding via the shrine in the unholy cathedral, she engaged the corrupted veteran, this time armed with mighty voodoo, an expanded health bar, and a shotgun. As with before, Cirno took cover whenever possible and would occasionally retreat to the upper floor if she felt like being overwhelmed with bullets and stray grenades. The Enseigne, normally ignored by the fairy due to her overconfidence, was vital in preventing bullets from hitting her, while the shotgun provided handy firepower that almost rivaled that of the Shadowgun.

"Come an' get it, boy!" Milton, with his heavy southern American accent, mocked. But Cirno refused to play by his rules and continued to fire away with her current weapon, taking cover when necessary. An explosive surprise from behind strip off a good chunk of her health, which had been expanded to eight sections, but a quick draw of the voodoo shield prevented immediate follow-ups. Cirno, realizing that she was almost out of voodoo, brought the Shadowgun into play and took a more offensive approach. Nearby barrels were broken to replenish voodoo and shotgun ammo, which ensured that supplies would not run dry during most of the fight. Retreating upstairs for some breathing, the fairy realized that something was off.

"… _? He's not coming up here… Probably chickened out or something like that. He couldn't handle the might of the strongest, the one and only Cirno-_ "

 _BOOM!_

" _Woah!_ " Surprised by a quick grenade from her left, she quickly to realize that her health was now approximately three-fifths full, in no small part due to the most recent blast. With replenished voodoo, she reutilized the Enseigne while firing more shots from the Shadowgun, further weakening Milton and resulting in his appearance morphing to that of a miniature Trueform.

" _You're done, boy._ " Mimicking Milton's southern accent, she fired more wraiths before finally bringing the Vietnam veteran to his knees. One last shot destroyed the physical body and revealed the Dark Soul within, the very source of corruption. The prize was claimed, and Cirno proceeded to explore the rest of the cafeteria. At the end of one hallway was a small machine gun that, like the shotgun, could only be used in Liveside; it would not be able to work in Deadside. Behind a locked door, which soon had its lock destroyed, was a pyramid-like object with an as-yet-unknown purpose. The inventory screen listed it as an "Accumulator".

" _Eye don't understand why Eye would need some toy pyramid for the game, but the machine gun will be a good way of proving who's the strongest._ " After earning her two items, she exited the cafeteria via the torso leading back to the Cathedral of Pain.

" _Who's next?_ " The travel back to the central area of the sinister cathedral was marked by a few annoyances from several gun-toting Pigmen, albeit not in a form that Cirno could not handle. Avoiding the hole in the center, she traveled up the stairway marked with a crude representation of a knife and into a subdued area with darker lighting. The normal music changed to a snippet of the famous first movement Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata_ , though the sample was played in reverse and with special effects added to twist its soothing character into something more sinister, almost ghastlier. The shrine of one Jack the Ripper was coated with the violet maiden's influence, represented by a dark shade covering the portrait of the infamous killer, the Victorian-style architecture, two white cloths to the sides, and a message scrawled in blood on the right wall. The message read:

 _From HELL_

Unlike Milton's branch of the cathedral, no enemies were around to pose a threat to Cirno, meaning that she could advance safely and conserve her supplies and health. The torso at the end was closed, but with a Retractor that had been picked up elsewhere in the Asylum, its chest was soon ripped open to create a portal to Jack's hideout. On the other side was an old room filled with many sketches of architectural plans on the walls and greeted with the occasional rat that searched for food. There was a nearby table holding up an old book, and when Cirno approached it, it was revealed to be a journal belonging to the same person that she was searching for. Within the pages were sketched plans for the Asylum, with special emphasis on its engine block—the one machine that would help pave the way for undead armies to enter Liveside. One page concerned the creation of Trueforms, one of which Cirno had already encountered in the Playrooms. The last page contained a message of sinister intent:

 _So it is written, so it shall be._

 _The Grand Design!_

 _FOR WE ARE MANY!_

 _Signed,_

 _Jack the Ripper_

" _Eye'll make him fall to the strongest; he'll end up just like that fatso,_ " the fairy whispered. Going down the stairway, she found herself in a sewer tunnel with two pathways. The left path was taken, and it soon branched to a three-way junction, with the right path leading into a hallway. A door at the end led to an area filled with sewer water and a spinning blade with its body completely submerged; Cirno took minor damage after touching sharp, rotating steel. She eventually encountered an elevator when she emerged from the filthy liquid and realized that it, surprisingly, still worked after many years of disuse. Upon stepping out…

" _More spinning blades…_ " The fairy did her best to avoid them, but slow movement in the water imposed a significant degree of difficulty. Regardless, she was unscathed prior to reaching the other side. Another flooded area was present, albeit with nothing interesting along the way. The Flambeau was utilized for a short moment when the area started to become too dark, especially near the bottom of the flooded chamber. One last hallway needed to be passed through before Cirno finally came face-to-face with the corrupted serial killer himself.

"You shouldn't have come here, Michael LeRoi!" The man himself had an unbuttoned shirt, dark trousers, dark hair, and a mustache that seemed common to the nineteenth century. He also had a knife in hand, representing his connection to what he called the "ritual of the knife".

" _You're goin' down._ " Cirno skipped the rest of the cutscene and proceeded to engage Jack. Aiming at him proved more difficult than expected; not only was he fast enough to leap onto the ceiling and drop down without warning, but the fact that he had benefit of crawling on the ceiling meant that the fairy had to utilize free-aim mode more frequently. Doing so stripped her of the ability to freely stroll around the room as needed. To worsen things, the water in the center slowed her down, leaving her more vulnerable to attacks. While escaping to a drier area, Jack suddenly ambushed Cirno and forced her into a corner.

"I'll make a Mary Kelly out of you!" The Enseigne was useless at blocking the piercing blows of Jack's knife. Incidentally, the fairy lost nearly half her health, leaving her irritated. She utilized the Shadowgun's auto-aim feature to make her mark, and while some shots managed to impact their target, the English serial killer was quick enough to avoid them and even managed to ambush Cirno again. In desperation, the fairy tried to slam the Flambeau against her opponent, but it would be all for naught when her character was killed due to repeated stabbings.

" _Let's try that again._ " Cirno reentered the room after respawning in the cathedral and repeating the trip from before. This time, she immediately retreated to dry grounds, with Jack following her in pursuit. While waiting for her foe to drop at the right moment, she employed the Calabash, an explosive powered by arcane magic, and stood near its point of placement to lure the killer into a trap. Things would not work out as planned, on the contrary, when he dropped down, attacked, and leaped back to the ceiling before the Calabash could detonate. Another bomb was placed next to a corner, but the process of setting it down was marked by Jack stabbing Cirno's character four times while trapping him. Even worse, as soon as the assault was over, the bomb exploded and took Cirno with it.

" _Oh… my… goodness…_ " Cirno's anger was returning to plague her mind with redness, the sort that would drive any ordinary human, fairy, or youkai to violence. The third attempt was slightly better thanks to the icy mistress's faster reflexes and greater use of the Shadowgun's auto-aim abilities, only to fail when she noticed Jack's failure to pursue her into the dry area and backtracked to wetter grounds…

 _Slash!_

…just to be killed.

" _Couldn't face me head-on, so you had to lure me into a trap, huh? Not fair!_ " Her next two attempts involving using her submachine gun's fast rate of fire to tack on some damage early on. Early on, it seemed that she would be able to defeat the architect of the Cathedral of Pain and advance to eliminate the remaining members of the Five, but his sheer speed and the sewer waters, combined with some weapons being rendered near-useless, ensured that Gensokyo's "baka" extraordinaire would face a crushing failure. One of these failures blossomed when Cirno dodged in the wrong direction and inadvertently employed the Enseigne, forgetting that the shield was not suited for thrusts of a bloody knife; she was soon defeated due to having been low on health. Another emerged when she tried to execute the Calabash trap again, only to be killed by her own bomb when Jack stunned her with a stabbing motion. Though Jack himself was weakened afterwards, it was already too late for the fairy's now-roasted character to retaliate. The deaths kept approaching, whether it was from reacting too slowly…

 _Slash! Slash! Slash!_

" _Eye'll show you. Eye'll make you beg for mercy!_ "

…to being trapped in a corner…

 _Slash!_

"This is the ritual of the knife!"

" _Yeah, whatever! Eye'm gonna shove that knife so far down your throat that you'll be begging on your knees!_ "

…to behaving too aggressively…

" _Get over here. Eye'm gonna smack you so hard with the Flambeau-_ "

 _Slash!_

" _What?! Really?!_ "

…to rolling in the wrong direction.

" _Woah, not in that direction-_ "

 _Slash!_

" _Eye can't believe this crap…_ "

No matter how many times she tried to defeat the serial killer, her aggressiveness and mistakes would always be her undoing. In the end, her character was slaughtered at least a dozen times, with the exact count being lost due to her attention span being focused on tearing the Dark Soul from Jack's body. After an occasion in which she almost defeated him, only to fail at the last second, her mind instantly succumbed to full-blown rage. She took a loud breath, then…

" _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!**_ " Deliberately ignoring what Yukari had told her, she drove an icicle through the laptop screen, repeatedly slammed the entire device against a hard edge, and tossed it out of the alcove, letting it strike the ground with a dull thud. She also removed the disc prior to damaging the laptop and tossed it and its corresponding jewel case with the electronic asset of daily life.

" _That's it; Eye'm done with that stupid game! Damn it, Eye can't take it anymore!_ " Furious over her long string of failures, she secluded herself deeper into the alcove to rest for the night. Minutes after the fairy had fallen asleep, the kitsune Ran emerged from a nearby portal created by her mistress. She was out to retrieve the laptop so that it could be utilized for what Yukari referred to as "important matters". She was relieved to locate the device a short distance away from her, but relief would soon morph into shock when she noticed the gaping hole created by Cirno's icicle.

" _Yukari-sama will not be pleased,_ " she gasped. Taking the damaged laptop, jewel case, and game disc with her, the older shikigami returned to the Yakumo household and prepared to confront her mistress with a shocking fact.

" _Ran, my task manager,_ " the gap youkai greeted, " _Did you find the laptop?_ "

" _I have, Yukari-sama, but look at the screen._ " Setting the game and case down, she presented the damage left behind by Cirno during her fit of rage. However, since she was not aware of the true source of property damage, Yukari darkened her expression towards the kitsune and expressed the following question:

" _Did you have a glitch and damage my laptop, Ran?_ "

" _No; it was Cirno who likely busted the laptop. My guess is that she lost her temper and damaged it in a fit of anger. I swear, I did nothing to break the screen-_ " The kitsune would have continued her explanation, but her mouth fell silent upon witnessing Yukari's umbrella.

" _You know what time it is, Ran? Oh, I think you know the answer…_ "

"…" Setting the laptop on the bed, Ran tried to assert her innocence, but the umbrella possessed an intimidating aura that drained from her mind the ability to speak. She desperately attempted to strengthen her explanation; her vocal cords were utterly constricted by fear. Then, without warning…

 _CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!_

* * *

 _The next morning…_

" _So, what have we learned last night?_ " Yukari asked her subordinate. She was gifted with a new laptop thanks to the works of a certain kappa; nearly all the content of the old was transferred the hard drives of the new. This included her save file for _Shadow Man_.

" _Never break your master's laptop,_ " Ran, despite knowing that Cirno was the most possible culprit, moaned reluctantly. She had been knocked unconscious by the umbrella and now had a black eye that stood out like a sore thumb.

" _Excellent._ " As she watched the kitsune leave, the gap youkai activated two secrets for the game, secrets that would change the visuals of the game. As she resumed her progress, Chen entered the room with a warm look on her face.

" _Hi, Miss Yukari, what'cha doing-_ " Her voice abruptly fell silent as she noticed what the youaki was doing. Despite the character model being replaced with a dog, completely with some flashy lights and a catchy disco beat, the bakeneko felt some nightmarish moments returning to her mind, especially since Yukari was inside the terrifying Playrooms.

* * *

"Why would those cruel monsters kill people? _" She was feeling sick to her stomach as she observed the bloody environment of the Playrooms._

…

"Nasty… _" The apartments of Mordant Street were morbidly filthy, complete with half-dead corpses and rotting flesh. She could not take much more disturbing imagery._

…

 _BANG!_

"What…? NO! _" She almost felt like crying after Marco Cruz murdered her character with a powerful handgun._

…

" _RAAARGH!"_

"AAHHH! _" Chen freaked out upon noticing many Duppies in the area. Rather than fighting them, she chose to flee, even as they started to vomit at her character._

…

 _Slam!_

 _The sobbing Chen, having slammed the laptop shut, could not take it anymore. Sprinting from Yukari's room, she sought Ran's comfort and warmness._

* * *

" _Uh, never mind._ " The bakeneko immediately turned around and exited the room; perhaps a bike ride would prevent her from losing her mind. Meanwhile, Yukari used four of her Accumulators to obtain the mighty Violator and a full stack of razor blades for it. In time, she began slaughtering many enemies with her new weapon, all while enjoying the disco beat and playing as a dog. Even Jack the Ripper fell to the might of the Asylum-made weapon.

" _Fufufufu… I'll be reaching the heart of the nightmare in style. It's a shame that Cirno and Chen couldn't do the same thing. I wonder if there are others in Gensokyo who will find interest in this game? This work is quite obscure, but I feel that it deserves more recognition._ "

She continued to play, paying no mind to the world around her.

* * *

 **Should've found more of those Accumulators to get the Violator, Cirno. Maybe then, Jack wouldn't be so difficult to kill. Well, that's it for the story. I may have Cirno (or some other** _ **Touhou**_ **character) play another obscure game, but I've yet to finalize plans for such a thing.**

 **A/N:**

 **-As with the Rösajordian characters of** _ **SSB: Mysteries of the Pure-Hearted Soul**_ **, the dialogue for the** _ **Touhou**_ **characters is in italics to represent their usage of a foreign language—in this case, Japanese.**

 **-In** _ **Touhou**_ **canon, Yukari has been known to use computer terms when talking to or about Ran. She's also been known to physically punish the kitsune if she disappoints her mistress. Also, Daiyousei was originally an unnamed fairy when she first debuted in** _ **Touhou**_ _ **VI**_ **.**

 **-The strange music of** _ **Shadow Man**_ **was composed by the one and only Tim Haywood, who did a great job at creating a musical atmosphere that blended well with the game. Check his other works (if you can find them).**

 **-Some of the points that Daiyousei brings up (problems with psychologists, enemies ceasing to exist once killed in Deadside) are mentioned in Supergreatfriend's playthrough of the game.**

 **-The normal music for the Lavaducts, as mentioned by its description in the story, doesn't play during the first trip to the area for some reason; usually, the theme to the Undercity (another area of the Asylum) plays first. I'm not sure if that's a glitch or not.**

 **Thank you for reading, R &R, and watch Supergreatfriend's playthrough. Now, if you'll excuse me, I shall-**

 _ **Boom…!**_

 **What…? *goes outside to notice Johan Eriksson being chased by Patchouli Knowledge***

 **Johan, what did you do this time?**

 **Johan: Hey, man. My prank to create a fake spell card for Patche sorta ignited the entire Scarlet Devil Mansion library, which I didn't mean to do, and now she's trying to kill me!**

 **Patchouli: Mukyu! *uses fire spell to try and kill Johan***

 **Johan: WOAH! Look alive, J.C.!**

 **Wait, don't come over here, Johan! You're going to make her hit me-**

 _ **BOOM!**_

 **...**

 **Ow… My body feels like splitting open right now. *looks up and notices the scenery***

 **Well, isn't that great? I'm stuck in Deadside. I need to find Mike before Patchouli and Johan end up destroying my home. Maybe he'll know what to do. Where could he be…?**

 _ **RRAAAGH!**_

 **Oh, FUCK! Um…! Once again, thanks for reading, but I'm off to find Mike and avoid those Duppies! *sprints like mad while Duppies follow in pursuit***


End file.
